The present invention relates to equipment for testing guided terminal homing seekers which require coded pulsed radiant energy for tracking. The preferred embodiment of the invention is described in terms of laser guided seekers in which two light sources or lasers are alternatively controlled; however, it is to be understood that other radiant energy sources for use with other radiant energy seekers may be controlled in accordance with the inventive concepts described herein.
In the testing of a laser guided seeker, it is desirable to observe the reaction of the seeker to two light sources having different locations. The light sources must be alternatively pulsed and the overall frequency from the combined light source transmissions must remain constant. However, the number of successive light pulses emitted from each location must be variable. By varying the duration of pulsed energy transmitted from each source, the seekers can be tested in a two source environment and the effect of different durations of pulsed energy can be studied for countermeasure purposes. It is also desirable to test the seeker for the effect of lost or skipped pulses and, further, to test the seeker for light intensity variations.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a test equipment capable of performing the tests described above. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic circuit which permits controlled programming of pulse application to two light sources.